Loom for weaving tufted fabrics



' y 3, 1932- .1. MORTON ET Al.-

LOOM FOR WEAVING TUFTED FABRICS 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 28, 1930 May 3, 1932. J. MORTON ET AL 1,356,783

LOOM FOR WEAVING TUFTED FABRICS Filed 001;. 28, 1930 :5 sheets-51x55; 2

QY 4 J May 3, 1932. .1. MORTON ET AL 1,856,783

LOOM FOR WEAVING TUFTED FABRICS F1183 Oct. 28, 1930 3 Sheets-sheen .3

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Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED srarss PATENT uric-E JAMES MORTON, 0F CRAMOND BRIDGE, WEST LOTHIAN, SCOTLAN D,: AND FRANCIS K H HERBERT OLDROYD, 0F RADCLIFFE, NEAR MANCHESTER, ENGLAND; SAID OLDROYD ASSIGNOR TO SAID MORTON LOOIv'I FOR WEAVING TUFT'ED FABRICS Application filed October 28, 1930, Serial No. 491,746, and in Great Britain November 21, 1929.

device comprises a pair of gripper arms (preferably of sickle shape) which are mounted side by side and which are provided with 1) means whereby they are moved bodily backwards and forwards past the fell of the fabric, (2) means whereby they are oscillated between positions wherein they respectively seize and release the tufts fed to them and (3) means whereby they can be independently shogged during the operation of moving towards the tuft,

seizing it, withdrawing it, and introducing it to the fabric, so that the tuft iseifectlvely bound therein.

The means for moving the gripper-arms bodily backwards and forwards preferably comprises a primary slide indirectlysupportmg the device and adapted to receive backward and forward movements at timed intervals in the cycle of operations from appropriate. cam mechanism. A secondary slide, on which the device is directly supported, is adapted to be moved transversely of theprimary slide for a purpose hereinafter described. The primary slide can be arranged to work on the breastplate of the loom.

The means for oscillating the gripperarms preferably comprises a cam controlled rock-shaft and which carries the gripperarms in such a manner that they can be shogg'ed along it but cannot rotate relatively to it. l V

The means for the grippenarms preferably comprises two separately, controlled keys which are slidably mounted in keyways formed in the aforesaidrock-shaft and which are secured to the respective gripper-arms.

In a preferred construction, the gripping action of the gripper-arms is derived from hooked fingers, each of which is let into a slot in the respective arm and is controlled by cam means for moving it circularly through the arm so that its hooked portion moved towards and away from the free end thereof in order to seize and release the tufts.

Said cam means comprise an internal cam,

device, which is rocked at timed intervals by means on the secondary slide, and, an exter nal cam lever which is operatively connected to the respective finger. The operative connections between'the' aforesaidoam levers and the fingers are resilient, so that the gripper-arms can deal with tufts of different.

tions.

. loom have been illustrated as will enable the invention to be clearly understood. The loom parts illustrated include'the batten B,

the reed R thereon and the breastplate P, the batten and reed being movable between the limiting positions in which they are drawn in full lines and dotted lines respectivelyin Fig. 1. Two shedded warps W are shown passing from the breastplate P through the reed.

The tufts T to be incorporated between the warps W are supplied to the gripper device by a conveyer which may consist of sewn or knitted chains C passing around sprocket wheels S, a conveyer of this construction being described in the concurrent patent specification filed of even date herewith, No. 1,811,325. It is to be understood however 'tha-tany other appropriate means for feeding forward the tufts can be employed. F or instance, the feed means might comprise a conveyer such as described in the prior application Serial Number 391,369 filed 9th September, 1929, Patent No. 1,80%,106 and tufts of different colors (or other characteristics) may be supplied to the conveyer by selecting mechanism such as is also described in said prior specification.

The gripper device, which includes two side-by-side sickle-shaped gripper-arms 10, constitutes one of a number of similar devices all comprised in an assembly of parts sup-' ported indirectly by a primary slide 11 and supported directly by a secondary slide 12.

In the drawings, only one arm 10 and associated parts are illustrated, but it will be obvious how another arm with its associated parts would be provided side-by-side with the .arm and parts actuallyillustrated.

The function of the primary slide 11 is to carry the said assembly of parts at an in .clination lengthwise of the loom (i. e. back- .wards and forwards with respect to the breastplate 1 To this end, the slide 11 is mounted in a slideway 13 on the breastplate, the movements of the slide being derived from cam-mechanism (not shown) through the intermediary of a lever arm 14 coupled to the slide 11 by a link 15.

The function of the secondary slide 12 is to impart transverse movements to the assem ,bly of parts above referred to. To this end,

the slide 12 is mounted upon the slide 11 between guides 16 thereon. Appropriate means would be provided for imparting the re quisite transverse movements to the slide 12,

and the said means might include cam-mechav' independently slidable along the shaft 18 1. e. are capable of being sho d, but are are" held against rotation by being respectively attached to two separate keys 20 fitting into keyways in the shaft 18. The arrangement is such that, by sliding each or either of these keys 20, the respective arm or arms 10 can be shogge'd, or moved sidewise, independently of one. another. The requisite endwise movements of the keys 20 would be derived from cam-mechanism (not shown).

The gripping action of the device is produced by two hooked fingers 21 each terminating in a hook portion 21 each of these fingers being fitted into a slot in the respective gripper-arm 10. The gripping action consists of acircular movement of the finger 21 relative to the respective arm 10. This movement is derived from an internal cam device including a circular lever 22 fulcrumed at 23 to a projection 19 on the boss 19 of the respective arm 10. Each arm 10 is operatively connected to the respective lever 22 through the intermediary of a bell-cranklever 24?, 2a", which is fulcrumed at 25 to the ring lever 22. The arm 24 of the bellcrank-lever is pivotally attached at 25 to the finger 21 while the other arm 24 is acted upon by a spring 26 which is coiled around a pin 27 projecting from the lever 22 and which is placed under compression by jamnuts 28. The cam proper of the cam device comprises a hump 31 and two spaced humps 32 and 32 defining a recess, these humps all being formed on the outer periphery of a sleeve 30 rotatably mounted on the boss 19. The cam humps above referred to coact with corresponding humps 33 and 34 formed on the internal periphery of the ring lever 22. It will be obvious that, if the ring 30 is turned either clockwise or counter-clockwise, the hump 31 moves away from the hump 33 and either hump 32 or 32 moves into engagement with the hump 34. The result of this is that the ring lever 19 is displaced counterclockwise about its fulcrum 23, and this movement is transmitted through the bell-cranklever to the finger 21, the hooked end 21 of which closes against the free end of the arm 10; It will thus be apparent that, if a tuft be located against the hooked end 21, the tuft will be gripped thereby against the arm.-

Variations in the thickness of the tufts such as might be caused by a knot, or by foreign matter, will be allowed for by the spring 28,

'which will function to insure a tight grip of the tuft no matter what its thickness may be and also to insure that breakage of the finger or arm cannot take place in the event of obstructing matter becoming interposed between the finger and the arm.

The movements of the finger with respect to the arm are guided by a pin 35 fitted across the interior of the arm and passing through an arcuate slot 36 in the finger.

The movements ofthe ring 30 requisite for operating the ring-lever 22 would be derived from cam-mechanism (not shown) through the intermediary of a rock-shaft 37 journalled in each cheek 17 and having a crank 38 which is coupled by a link 39 'to an arm l-O projecting from the ring 30. The link 39 is universally jointed at both ends to the crank 38 and arm 40 respectively.

In a loom to which the invention is applied,'several gripping devices, each including two gripper arms and associated parts, would be provided. Each device would be arranged to deal with a short width of the fabric, the arrangement being such that all the devices, which would work in unison, would move step'bystep sidewise and bind successive tufts to successive pairs of warps, a new step being taken after each tuft has been knotted in place. It is for thepurpose of imparting the requisite sidewise steps to the several devices that the cam-actuated secondary slide 12 is provided.

The different cam-mechanisms for actuating the various motions of the parts com prised in, and associated with, the tuft introducing and binding devices would all be driven by any convenient rotary part or parts of the loom, and certain of the cams might be changeable so that variations in the timing could be made to suit the requirements of difierent fabrics.

The gripping movements, asdistinct from the sidewise or shogging movement, of each gripper are as follows:

The entire device is carried bodily forwards by the slide 11 at a downward inclination. The shaft 18 is rocked clockwise and turns the arm 10 from its Fig. 1 position into its Fig. 2 position, in which the gripper is open and in the correct position to receive a tuft. This position of the gripper arm is also shown by dottedlines in Fig. 1. Thereafter, the rod 39, pulls the ring 30 through a small angle into its Fig. 3 position, in which the hump 3% engages the long hump 32" and causes the ring lever 22 to pivot about the pin 23, with the result that the gripper seizes a tuft. The shaft 18 now rocks back counterclockwise, the gripper arm 10 turning in unison with the shaft. During this movement, the gripper is held tightly closed by the long hump 32 The entire device is carried bodily backwards at an upward inclination by the slide 11, and finally the hump 34 moves beyond the hump 32" and the gripper is opened to release the tuft. During the last stage of the counter-clockwise turn ing of the shaft 18, the rod 39 moves the sleeve 30 back through a small angle ready for the next cycle of operations.

The manner in which each gripper arm 10 cooperates with the warp threads to which the tufts are to be knotted is illustrated in Figs. l and 5. As shown in Fig. i, the left hand warp NV of a pair of warps N Wis raised and to the left of the arm 10, which commences to move sidewise to the left below W Then VI is lowered, and in lowering moves past the right hand side of the arm 10 (see Fig. 5). The arm 10 can now be rotated upwards to engage a tuft without fear of the warp W slippi off the arm. The above-described action takes place in connection with the knotting operations hereinafter explained.

A loom equipped with devices according to this invention can be employed to weave, inter aha, oriental carpets in which the pile is incorporated by knotting in the Turkish or Ghiordes style, or in the Persian or Selina style, or it can be employed to weave plain tufted carpets.

The action of a single device, including one pair of gripper arms 10 and 10 will now be described in connection with the tying of a Turkish or Ghiordes knot with reference to Figs. 13, the gripper arms being assumed *o v red and in their rearward posis snown by full lines in Fig. 1. The pper arms are disposed close together I ght hand side of he two warps W and W T to which the tuft has to be knotted (see Fig. ,6). The two warps are assumed to be lowered (i. e. unshed).

F all, the left-hand warp W is lifted and the device is carried bodily by the slide 11 forward so that the gripper arms 10 10 move into proximity to the warps. Both arms are then shogged laterally to the left by their keys 20, with the result that the arm 10 engages below the warp WV The warp Y W is now lowered across the arm 10 (see Z The right hand warp W? is next raised, and the right hand arm 10 is shogged to the r ght by its key 20, and passes under t .e warp W which is'next lowered across said arm (see Fig. 8). The two arms are now caused to rock upwards by the shaft 18 until eventually they move into register with a t it T and grip it (see Fig. 9).

The arms are rockeddownwards, carrying the tuft T between them and gradually moving together below the warps as the arms approach their lowermost position (see Figs. l0 and 11). At the same time, the device as a whole is moved bodily backwards by the slide 11, with the result that the arms first of all move clear of thewarps (see Fig. 1 and then draw the knot taut. Thereafter the gripper fingers open and release the tuft, leaving it incorporated in the carpet. The well-known form of this knot is shown in Fig. 13.

The tying of'a Persian or Selina knot will now be described withr-eference to Figs. 14 to 22. At the commencement, the, gripper arms and the warps occupy the'same positions as shown in Fig. 6. Again. the warp is raised, but this time only the arm 10 is shogged tolthe left. The warp W is then lowered across the arm 10? (see Fig-16). The warp 7V is now raised, the arm'lO is shogged to the left, and the warp'VV is lowered across it (see Fig. 15). The arm 1O is next sho gged to the right, so as to bring the warp Vi into the correct relationship with the arm 10 r The device as a whole is now moved bodily forwards by the slide 11, and the gripperv arms are rocked upwards to seize'the'tuft T (see Fig. 17). Thereafter, the arms are rocked downwards, and the device as a whole is gradually drawn back by'the slide 11, the arms in the meatime gradually moving together (see Figs. 18, 19 and 20). Ultimate ly the arms are moved clear of the warps (see Fig. 21), and the knot is drawn taut into the fabric. The well known form of this knot is illustrated in Fig. 22.

Te claim:

1. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and binding themtherein, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side oscillatory arms with gripper fingers, a primary slide indirectly supporting the device, mechanism for moving said primary slide backwards and forwards so that said fingers are carried toand-fro past the fell of the fabric, a secondary slide directly supporting the device and movably mounted on the primary slide, means for moving said secondary slide transversely of the primary slide, mechanism for opening and closing the fingers, mechanism for oscillating the arms between positions wherein the fingers close and open respectively to seize and release successive tufts, and

means for independently shogging the arms during the operation of moving the device towards a tuft, seizing the tuft, withdrawing it and introducing it to the fell of the fabric, so that the tuft is'eifectively bound therein.

2. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and binding them therein, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side oscillatory arms with gripper fingers, a support for said device including a rock-shaft to which the device is keyed against relative rotation but along which the device is slidable so that shogging of the arms can be effected, mechanism for movin said support backwards and forwards so that said fingers are carried to-and-fro past the fell of the fabric, mechanism on said rock-shaft for opening and closing the fingers, mechanism for imparting rotational movements to said rock-shaft so as to oscillate said arms between positions wherein the fingers close and open respectivelyto seize and release successive tufts, and means for independently shogging the arms during the operation of moving the device towards a tuft, seizing the tuft, withdrawing it .and introducing it to the fell of the fabric, so that the tuft is effectively bound therein.

3. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and binding them therein, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side oscillatory arms with gripper fingers, a support for said device including a rockshaft, a pair of keys slidably mounted in keyways in said rockshaft, an operative connection between the keys and the respective arms, mechanism for moving said support backwards and forwards so that said fingers are carried to-andfro past the fell of the fabric, mechanism for opening and closing the fingers, means for imparting rotational movements to the rock-shaft so asto oscillate the arms in unison between positions wherein the fingers close and open respectively to seize and release successive tufts, and means for sliding the individual keys along the rock-shaft so as to shog the respective arms during the operation of moving the device towards a tuft, seizing the tuft, withdrawing it and intro ducing it to the fell of the fabric, so that the tuft is effectively bound therein.

l. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and binding them therein, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side oscillatory arms, finger members movably carried by said arms and cam means for moving the finger members relatively to said arms so as to close or open said members, a support for said device, mechanism for moving said support backwards and forwards so that said fingers are carried to-and-fro past the fell of the fabric, mechanism on said support for actuating said cam means to openor close the fingers, mechanism for oscillating the arms between positions wherein the fingers are closed and opened by said cam means to some and release successive tufts, and means for independently shogging the arms during the operation of moving the device towards a tuft, seizing the tuft, withdrawing it and introducing it to the fell of the fabric, so that the tuft is effectively bound therein.

5. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and binding them therein, said device including a pair of side-by-side arms and fingers movably carried by said arms so that said fingers can be closed against said arms or opened, a rock-shaft supporting said device, an external cam element operatively connected to each arm and finger, an internal cam element cooperating with said external element and rotatably mounted on the rockshaft, means for partly rotating said internal cam element so as to pivot the respective external element and thereby close or open the fingers, mechanism for moving said rockshaft backwards and forwards so that said fingers are carried to-and-fro past the fell of the fabricfmechanism for oscillating the rock-shaft so as to move the arms between positions wherein the fingers are closed and woven andbinding them therein, said device including a pair of side-by-side sickle-shaped armsand arcuate fingers movabl-y fitted into said arms so that said fingers can be closed against said arms or opened, a rock-shaft supporting said device, an external cam element pivotally connected to each arm and having a resilient connection with the respective finger, an internal cam element cooperating with said external element and rotatably mounted on the rock-shaft, means for partly rotating said internal cam ele ment sons to pivot the respective external element and thereby close or open the fingers, mechanism for moving said 1'ockshaft backwards and forwards so that said fingers are carried to-andfro past the fell of the'fabric, mechanism for oscillating the rock-shaft so as to move the armsbetween positionswher'ein the fingers are closed and opened by saidcam elements to seize and release successive tufts, and means for independently shogglng the arms during the operation of moving the device towards a tuft, seizing, the tuft, withdrawing it and introducing it to the fell of the fabric, so that the tuft is effectively bound therein.

7. In a loom for weaving fabrics, a sup port assembly, means for imparting longitudinal movements thereto, a pair ofsickle shaped gripper arms having bosses carried by said support assembly, means for sliding the bosses separately so as to shog the arms, means for partially rotating said bosses so as to oscillate the arms in unison, an arcuate finger slidingly fitted in each gripper arm and having a gripping end projecting therefrom, a ring lever operatively connected to said finger and fulcrumed on the respective boss, an internal cam operatively associated withsaid ring lever, and means for turning said cam so as to displace said ring lever and thereby cause the gripping end of the finger to close against, or open outwards from, the

respective arm.

8. In a loom for weaving fabrics, a support assembly, means for imparting longitudinal movements thereto, a rock-shaft constituting an element of said assembly, a pair of sickle-shaped gripper arms having bosses which are slidably mounted and held against rotation on the rock-shaft, means for sliding the bosses separately along the rockshaft', means forrocking said rock-shaft so as to oscillate the arms in unison, an arcuate finger slidingly fitted in each gripper arm and having a gripping end projecting therefrom, a ring lever operatively connected to said finger and fulcrumed onthe respective boss, an internal cam turnable about the axis of the rock-shaft and operativel-y associated with said ring-lever, and means for turning said cam so as to displace said ring-lever and thereby cause the gripping end of the finger to close against, or open outwards from, the respective arm.

9. Ina loom for weaving fabrics, a support assembly, means for imparting longitudinal movements thereto, a rock-shaft constituting an element of said assembly, a pair of keys mounted in keyways in said rock-shaft,

means for moving the respectivekeys endwi'se along said rock-shaft, a pair of sickle-shaped gripper arms having bosses which are slid ably mounted on the roclr shaft and which are respectively secured to the keys, means for rocking said rock-shaft so as to oscillate the arms in unison, an arcuate finger slidingly fitted in each gripper arm'an'd having a gripping end projecting therefrom, a ring lever operatively connected to said: finger and fulcrumed on the respective'boss, an internal cam turna'ble-about the axis of the rock-shaft and operatively associated with said ring lever, and means for turning said cam so as to displace said ring lever and thereby cause the gripping end of the finger to close against, orop'en outwards from, the respective arm.

10. In a loom for weaving fabrics, a pri-:

mary slide, means for imparting longitu dinal movements thereto, a secondary slide on said primary slide, means for imparting transverse step-by-step movements to said secondary slide, a rock-shaft journalled thereon, a pair of keys mounted in keyways,

in said rock-shaft, means for moving the respective keys endwise along said rock-shaft, a pair of sickle-shaped gripper arms having bosses which are slidably mounted on the rock-shaft and which are respectively secured to the keys, means for rocking said rock-shaft so as to oscillate the arms in unisaid ring-lever and thereby cause the gripping end of the finger to close against, or open outwards from, the respectivearm;

' 11. In a loom for weaving fabrics, a primary slide, means for imparting longitudi nal movements thereto, a secondary slide on said primary slide, means for imparting transverse step-by-step movements to said secondary slide, a rock-shaft journalled thereon, a pair of keys mounted in keyways in said rock-shaft, means for moving the respective keys endwise along said rock-shaft, a pair of sickle-shaped gripper arms having bosses which are slidably mounted on the rock-shaft and which are respectively secured to the keys, means for rocking said rock-shaft so as to oscillate the arms in unison, an arcuate finger slidingly fitted in each gripper arm and having a gripping end projecting therefrom, a ring lever on the respective boss and connected through a resilient contrivance to the respective finger, an internal cam turnable about the axis of the rock-shaft and operatively associated with said ring lever, and means for turning said cam so as to displace said ring lever and thereby cause the gripping end of the finger to close resiliently against, or open outwards from, the respective arm.

12. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and knotting them to warps being incorporated in said fabric, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side grippers, a support for said device, mechanism for moving said support backwards and forwards so that said device is carried bodily towards and away from the fell of the fabric, mechanism for opening and closing the grippers, means for shogging each gripper independently to engage a raised warp, and mechanism firstly for moving each gripper across and beyond the warp (while the latter is being lowered) in order to grip a tuft and secondly for returning each gripper in order to tie the tuft ingo a knot at the fell and then release the tu t.

13. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and knotting them to warps being incorporated in said fabric, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side arcuate grippers, a support for said device, mechanism for sliding said support backwards and forwards so that said device is carried bodily towards and away from the fell of the fabric, mechanism for opening and closing the grippers, means for shogging each gripper independently to engage a raised warp, and mechanism for oscillating said grippers in unison so that each gripper firstly is moved across and beyond the warp (while the latter is being lowered) in order to grip a tuft and secondly is returned in order to tie the tuft into a knot at the fell and then release the tuft.

14. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being'woven and tying them in Ghiordes knots to warps being incorporated in said fabric, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side oscil-i the grippers inunison, said shogging means and oscillating mechanism serving to perform the following operations, namely: shog the grippers in one direction so that one of them engages and displaces a raised warp, move the other gripper in the opposite direction in order to engage and displace another raised warp, move both grippers beyond the warps (while these are being lowered) in order to seize a tuft by its ends, return both grippers andshog them relatively towards each other in order to tie a Ghiordes knot and release the tuft.

15. In or for a gripper loom for weaving fabrics and including. means for feeding pile tufts in succession, a device for introducing said tufts to the fell of a fabric being woven and tying them in Sehna knots to warps being incorporated in said fabric, said device comprising a pair of side-by-side oscillatory grippers, a support forsaid device, mechanism for moving said support backwards and forwards so that said device is carried bodily towards and away from the fell of the fabric, mechanism for opening and closing the grippers, meansforshogging' each gripper independently to engage a raised warp, and mechanism for oscillating the grippers in unison, said shogging means and oscillating mechanism serving to perform the following operations, namely: shog one gripper in one direction to engage an displace a raised warp, similarly shog the other gripper to engage and displace another raised warp, shog back in the opposite direction the second-mentioned gripper (while the warps are being lowered), move both grippers beyond the warps (while these are being lowered) in order to seize a tuft by its ends, return both grippers and shog them relatively towards each other in order to tie a Sehna knot and release the tuft.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

JAMES MORTON.

FRANCIS HERBERT OLDROYD. 

